Some people will be doing more cooking than normal for New Year's Eve and the Fire Department is asking everyone to be cautious.
WOODSTOCK - The Woodstock Fire Department is reminding all residents to be careful with their cooking at this busy time of year.
Public Information Coordinator with the Woodstock Fire Department, Lisa Woods, says five people were displaced during a Boxing Day fire, and they want to try and prevent a similar incident happening on New Year's Eve. "We had a fire at 272 Wellington Street North. The individuals were preparing for a party the next day they were having, and unfortunately it was unattended cooking. Five people are now displaced because of it."
Woods says it's very easy to get distracted as your prepare for guests, so being proactive is necessary. "Plan ahead, get takeout,- make sure that when you are in the kitchen you have a pot lid or a cookie sheet handy and if the pot gets out of hand or hot then you can slide the cookie sheet or pot lid over. Never try to remove a hot plate from the stove top, chances are you are going to drop it and spill it all over, or potentially burn yourself, or start a fire."
Woods says this sort of thing can happen to anyone, which is why it's so important to make sure your fire alarms are up to date and working properly. "There are a lot of distractions at this time of year: you have got more people coming over than usual so you are doing an abnormal amount of cooking and you have people distracting you from what you are doing. You may tend to walk away and forget, and as always alcohol is a factor. Have things ready in case the unfortunate does happen."

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